Title:

Galaxies by Design



Larry Widrow
Queen's University, Kingston



Abstract:

I will present new, multi-purpose, theoretical models for late-type
galaxies.  These models comprise a disk, bulge, halo, and central
supermassive blackhole.  They represent self-consistent equilibrium
systems providing clean initial conditions for a wide variety of
N-body experiments.  Models designed to match observational data for
specific galaxies are easily found via Bayesian statistics and Markov
Chain Monte Carlo.  I will discuss three applications: the structure
and dynamics of the Milky Way, a surprising connection between dark
halos and bar formation, and the latest results from microlensing
explorations of the Andromeda galaxy.